Sales counting ticket retainer and the like



SALES COL'NTING TICKET RETAINER AND THE LIKE BRIEF SUMMARY ln connection with conventional sales counting tickets, the sales ticket is usually of a thin paperboard and is attached to the merchandise in the store. A portion of the ticket has perforations which is coded information relative to the product to which it is attached. When the merchandise is sold the salesperson detaches the portion of the ticket having the coded perforations and same is retained by the store together with other sales tickets and they are sent to be processed through an IBM or other decoding machine which decodes the information. In this way a proper inventory is kept of the type of merchandise or products sold and it gives the store immediate information relative thereto. The sales counting tickets might also have written or printed thereon certain additional information such as price, etc. During the course of each day these detached, conventional, sales counting tickets must be stored and kept together and after a certain period of time, either each day or a period ofseveral days, they are sent to the office for processing through the decoding machine.

One of the objects of this invention, therefore, is to provide the means whereby said sales counting tickets are supported and retained in an orderly stacked condition on a holder, and when the collection of tickets have to be sent for decoding, a locking member is applied to secure and bind the tickets to the holder so that they may be sent in a stacked bundle without requiring the use of other fastening means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder for tickets having a single aperture in which the holder has a single post and an alinement member spaced from said post so that the sales counting tickets are threaded on the post and held in an alined stacked group. The holder has a locking member as an integral part thereof which engages a supporting member to support the holder but which locking member is readily detached from the holder and applied to the post to retain the collection of tickets in a stack or bundle on the holder. The holder is a self-contained unit which has means for stacking the tickets and for locking them in a stacked condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device all integrally molded of a plastic material which comprises a holder for retaining a collection of tickets or the like and which has means for locking the tickets to the holder.

Another object of this invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive means for retaining sales counting tickets and the like and then locking them together for transporting or mailing to the location where the sales counting tickets may be decoded.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses. l

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the holder and the supporting member therefor. The left-hand portion of the FIG. shows the holder in the position prior to being inserted in the supporting member. The right-hand portion of the FIG. shows the holder supported on the supporting member and the tickets positioned on the post ofthe holder.

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the locking member secured to the post to hold the tickets in locked position.

FIG. Sis a view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the post broken away as when the tickets are to be removed, and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a conventional ticket retained by the holder.

vDESCRIPTION'OF THE EMBODIMENTS The holder unit is generally indicated at I0. lt is formed of a lplastic; material and is injection molded and cornes out of the injection molding machine as a single integral unit. The holder I comprises a base I2 of generally rectangular shape from which extends upwardly a spindle or post I4 having an enlarged head l providing a shoulder I7. Spaced from said spindle or post but in alinement therewith and extending upwardly of the base is an alinement member I6 which lis of generally rectangular shape. The post adjacent the base has an annular recessed portion I8 to provide a weakened area to facilitate the breaking away ofthe post at the weakened area, as will be subsequently described.

Formedvintegrally with the base and extending vertically' downward therefrom is a locking member generallyl indicated at which has a weakened attaching surface 22 to the underA side of the base so that it may be broken away therefrom. The locking member 20 serves two functions. In the first instance it is adapted to support the holder in an upright position on a supporting member generally indicated at 24 during the period when the holder is used for threading the tickets thereon. After the post 14 is filled with the tickets the locking member 20 is detached or broken away from the base 12 of the holder and is secured tothe post I4 for locking the tickets together in stacked relation.

The locking member 20 has generally flat opposite surfaces and has a central slot 26 which extends from the front of the locking member and communicates with a larger annular opening 28. The opening 28 engages the post 14. Extending from the rear of the locking member 20 are spaced rearwardly extending members or arms 30 each terminating in an inwardly extending bead or lip 32. The rearwardly extending members 30 define a recess 34. When the locking member 20 is positioned on the post 14 with the opening 28 engaging the post, the rearwardly extending members 30 engage the alinement member I6, as best seen in FIG. 5. The locking member 20 is slidable axially on the alinement member 16 as well as on the post I4, but the slidable member is not rotatable relative to the post.

To support the holder in an upright position, as shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. I, for use during the threading operation of the tickets, the holder is positioned on a supporting block or supporting member 24. This block or supporting member 24 is adapted to support a plurality of holders in spaced relation, as best seen in FIG. 1. The supporting member 24 is provided with a vertical slot 36. At the rear of the slot is a forwardly extending member 37 defining upper and lower recesses 38 and 39 which communicate with the vertical slot 36. The upper surface of the supporting member adjacent said slot is recessed to provide a rectangular-shaped recess or pocket 40. The recess or pocket 40 has the width of the base l2 but is longer than said base.

As best shown in FIG. 2, with the locking member 20 as an integral part of the holder, the locking member in its vertical position is inserted into the slot 36 adjacent the forward portion of the slot. The holder is then slid rearwardly so that the rearwardly extending members 30 engage the member 37 and lock the locking member 20 in position on the `supporting member 24. The base l2 of the holder is confined in the recess 40 and this locks the holder on the supporting member so that the tickets may be threaded on the post 14.

The tickets to be supported on the holder are like that shown in FIG. 8. The ticket 42 is generally of rectangular shape and is provided with a centrally positioned opening 44 which is threaded on the post 14. The ticket also has a central I through a decodingrnachine.

yAfter the tickets 42 have been threaded on the post 14 and the post is filled, the holder is removed from the supporting member 24 by sliding the locking member 20 forwardly in the slot 36 to discngage the arms 30 from the forwardly extending member 37 and then lifting same upwardly out ofthe supporting member 24. The locking member 20 is broken away from the base l2 of the holder along the weakened connecting portion 22 and the locking member 20 is positioned on the post 14, with the rearwardly extending members 30 engaging the alinement member 16, as best shown in FlG. 5, to lock the tickets in a stacked position. lt will be noted that the alinement member 16 serves to prevent the individual ticket or the stack of tickets from disarrangement or moving out of alinement. The bundle of tickets in this stacked and locked arrangement is then shipped or transported to the office where it is to be decoded.

When it is desired to separate the stacked tickets the alinement member 16 is broken off from the base l2 by moving it rearwardly away from the post 14. This rearward movement also breaks the base l2 from the post 14 at the weakened area 18. The tickets are then capable of being removed through the bottom of the post.

The shoulder 17 on the post 14 locks the locking member 20 on the post. lt prevents the locking member 20 from being moved upwardly or removed through the top ofthe post. That is, while the locking member 20 can be threaded downwardly over the head of the post 14 through the opening 28, which will give sufficiently for it to pass the head, it is difficult or impossible to remove the locking member from the post by reason of the shoulder 17, thereforefthe tickets are removed from the lower end of the post 14 when the base 12 has been broken away.

lt will lbe understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A holder for a plurality of tickets or the like, provided with an opening, said holder comprising a base and a post which is engaged by the opening in the ticket to support the tickets in a stacked arrangement, means comprising an upright member spaced from said post and extending upwardly of said base substantially the same height as said post to hold the tickets in alinement and prevent rotation of the tickets about said post, a locking member having means to cooperate with the post to lock said locking member to said post and retain the st-ack of tickets between the base and the locking member when said locking member is associated with said post, said locking member formed with said holder and extending vertically below said base.

2. A holder as defined in claim l in which a supporting member is provided for retaining said holder in an upright position and in which the locking member is positioned on said supporting member with the locking member supported in a slot in thc supporting member.

3. A holder as defined in claim l in which the post has a shoulder and in which the locking member has an opening adapted to engage the post and said locking member has rearwardly extending means adapted to engage the ticket alinement means to permit the locking member to be threaded on the post and alinement means through the top thereof, and in which the shoulder on the post prevents the locking member from being moved upwardly beyond the shoulder when the tickets are in a stacked relation.

4. A holder for a plurality of tickets or the like, provided with an opening, said holder comprising a base and a post which is engaged by the opening in the ticket to support the tickets in a stacked arrangement, means extending upwardly of said base to hold the tickets in alinement and to prevent rotation of the tickets about said post, a locking member having means to cooperate with the post to lock said locking member to said post and retain the stack of tickets between the base and the locking member when said locking member is associated with said post, said ost having a weakened portion adjacent the base of said ho der so that the base may be broken away from said post to permit the tickets to be removed from said post at the bottom of said post.

5. A holder as defined in claim 4 in which the alinement member is positioned rearwardly and in spaced relation to said post with the locking member secured to the base and extending downwardly thereof` vertically so that said locking member may be inserted in a supporting member to support the holder in an upright position during threading of the tickets on said post, and wherein said locking member may be broken away from said base for securement to said post to lock the tickets between the base and the locking member.

6. A holder as defined in claim 4 in which the alinement member is spaced from the post and is connected to the base and wherein when the alinement member is moved rearwardly it breaks the connection between the post and the base to permit the tickets to be Unthreaded from said post through the bottom of said post.

7. A holder as defined in claim 4 which is all integrally molded of a plastic material.

8. A holder as defined in claim 3 which is integrally molded of a plastic material. 

